New Panel To Determine Needs Of Library For `90s

May 11, 1988|By Rudolph Unger.

The Chicago Public Library board took the first step Tuesday to plan for its needs for the 1990s.

Board President James Compton appointed a four-member strategic planning committee to draw up a program to develop the financial, capital development and personnel resources of the library system that will be required during the last decade of the century.

Director Edwin Claudio was named chairman of the group. He will be joined on the committee by directors James Lowry, Jerome Stone and Bernarda Wong.

Compton instructed the committee to report back to the board by June 28 as to the goals and standards it plans to establish. It is to present its final recommendations within 12 months.

In other matters, the board approved keeping the central library operative until June 29 before moving from the Mandel Building to its temporary locations at 400 N. Franklin St. and 1224 W. Van Buren St. after Commissioner John Duff read a letter from Chicago Schools Supt. Manford Byrd Jr. requesting that the Mandel location be kept open until schools close.

In the letter, Byrd noted that the public schools have to remain open two weeks longer this year as a result of the strike this school year by teachers and other employees.

Duff told the board he believes Byrd`s request can be complied with and still enable the move from Mandel to be completed by the end of August. Rents at Mandel would increase considerably starting in September under the terms of the board`s lease.

The board also approved putting out bids for 16 contracts totaling an estimated $232,000 for work needed to adapt the Franklin and Van Buren sites to library use. Also, Samuel Morrison, chief librarian, said five proposed designs for the new central library, which will be the centerpiece of the library system`s 1990s development, will go on display at the Cultural Center Sunday, and comments from the public on the proposals are welcome. A contract will be awarded this summer to the successful design-construction team.